The needle of suspicion in the Rs 7.69-crore lajpat Nagar robbery case has pointed to Rajesh Kalra and Rakesh Kumar Sharma — the business partners of Rahul Ahuja to whom the stolen money belonged.
The Delhi Police on Wednesday sought the remand of two prisoners lodged in Tihar Jail for interrogation in the case. The two inmates are believed to be members of the notorious Doga gang of Haryana. The police suspect their involvement in the robbery at the behest of Kalra and Sharma.
As investigation progressed, police sources said the robbed amount was more than Rs 15 crore, contrary to the claims of the victims that it was Rs 7.69 crore. Crime branch and special cell are questioning Kalra and Sharma, but no positive leads have come out so far. Police have also questioned Ahuja regarding his business and monetary transactions.
Sources said the kingpin of the gang involved in the heist— Ashok Doga — is lodged in Rohtak Jail. Investigators intend to question him to get clues about his accomplices. Police said one of Kalra’s aides, Sandeep, was in the i20 car which was escorting the Honda City. Sandeep is a nephew of Ashok Doga, who runs an extortion racket in Jhajjar and Rohtak.
The sources said Rajesh Kalra, whose name had emerged as a bookie in Hansie Cronje match-fixing case, and his partner Gurgaon-based businessman Rahul Ahuja, to whom the cash belonged, are not showing “very keen” interest in the case.
Police said they were misleading investigators over the source of money. Sources said they might be arrested for sustained interrogation. Police said Kalra had been in constant touch with a london-based bookie named Sanjeev Chawla which indicated that Kalra was still active in betting. “The robbed amount is more than Rs 15 crore and if Kalra refuses to reveal the source of money then he might be arrested by the Enforcement department for using Hawala route for possessing unaccounted currency,” said an official associated with the investigation.
later in the day, Kalra complained of chest pain and was admitted to Paras hospital. His condition is stable. The Income Tax department also joined the investigation on Wednesday.
Investigations have revealed Kalra’s deep association with cricket bookies. His accomplices told the police that a transaction of more than rupees ten crore was made a week ago in which he had converted illegal foreign currency, including dollar and Euro, into Indian currency. Sources revealed that the robbed money is also a part of the betting racket payoffs. Kalra and his business partner Rahul Ahuja had a 50 percent share in each deal they made.
“The way the robbery was executed reveals that it was planned long ago and the robbers knew about the money being carried. The statements of Rakesh Sharma and Kalra were contradictory on certain matters,” said a police official.